Self and wife Lost 24lb in 6 months.
Motivation,
1 waist down to 34″ half my height
2 BMI down to 24 just a little to go now, nearly there
3 best of all now fit 2 of my old suits and a pair of linen trousers,none of which have been worn in 20 years!

– The results! Good results mostly, unless I can explain it when I have bad results.
– This forum
– My goal, competing at a high level (even the european or world championships).
– Feeling and finally looking like I feel I should (my real me)
– A tattoo I want, and will only allow myself to get at a certain weight
– Clothes getting looser
– …This forum
– Poking my bellyfat en noticing it’s reducing
– Before and after pictures, not many, just some
– Did I mention this forum?

To start with my motivation was the health benefits shown in the documentary – I did NOT like the sound of vascular fat deposits & was pretty sure I had some, as I’ve always weighed more than I looked. That kept me going the first couple of weeks.

After that I was motivated by the feeling of strength on fastdays and by the fact that I was already getting other benefits (skin clearing & softening, periods improving, eczema disappearing etc.). That kept me going until I noticed that my trousers were starting to sit better & decided it might be a good idea to actually weigh myself (2 months in). After that it was pretty much the fact that whatever I do my general direction, in weight terms, is ALWAYS down. It might only be by 1lb in a whole month (meaning I need to shake my routine up a bit) but it’s always heading in the right direction and it’s nice & gradual, so I’m not freaking anyone out or behaving like a crazy dieter. It’s a nice lifestyle for me now and I no longer need any motivation to keep it going. Although going down the dress sizes gradually is very satisfying 🙂

I really dislike the word motivation. Motivation comes and goes.
I didn’t have motivation to start doing this. In fact I really didn’t want to get myself moving and watching what I was eating, but . . .
I had a reason.

I am carrying too much weight and I knew that I needed to shift it. My hubby is also carrying too much weight.

My husband came home muttering something about this diet and as he had some sort of interest in possibly doing it, I bit the bullet for us and made the decision for us to do this.

This diet for some reason is working for him and he is taking ownership of his fast days – which is something of a first for him. Normally he would just leave it all up to me but not be inspired or enthusiastic in relation to any diet.

The fact that he is seeing results and is actually being responsible with this diet is the best reason for me to keep on going with it.

So what keeps us going is seeing results. The numbers on the scales are moving downwards, clothes are fitting better/more loosely, starting to fit back into things that had gotten too tight.

I like to think that we will get other health benefits out of doing this as well, although I don’t count on that as those results have not been scientifically proven as yet, but I do know that we will have to be healthier when we aren’t carrying around the extra 10 – 20 odd kilos that we want to shift.

Hi all, some interesting comments regarding motivation and as a grumpy old man I get my motivation from the various health benefits losing weight can bring.
However…. I came across the following article in my local newspaper today, obviously, as you will see aimed at women. I make no apologies for copying the article and in my defence I checked the date to ensure it is not April 1st.
NEW FRONT IN WAR ON OBESITY.
“Scientists have developed a smart bra that measures the wearers mood to help prevent over-eating. The bra, developed by the University of Southampton, is fitted with sensors that monitor heart and skin activity. The data from the prototype device is then analysed by a smart phone app which can highlight when “emotional eating” is most likely to occur and offer advice to the wearer.
The app can then provide suggestions such as carrying out calming breathing exercises to reduce the users stress levels”. unquote.
The newspaper in which the article appears is “The Northern Echo”, the main local newspaper in the North East of England. It has a good (ish) reputation for reporting the news but this gave me a bit of a giggle. The mind boggles at the sort of device that could be developed for men.
Good luck to you all with your motivation.

Hahaha! That’s brilliant! Thanks for sharing Couscous. I wonder what my bra would have to say to me if it could talk….. “For God’s sake sit up straight woman!” would probably be higher up on the list than “Chocolate?….Really?!?!….at THIS time of night?” but still. I’m not sure how I’d feel about being told off by my underwiring. 😉

haha so funny! I did see a bra advertised with that little blue bird (you know the twitter one) over the fastening and every time you undid your bra it tweeted ‘Linda has just taken her bra off – don’t forget to check your breasts too’ and sent it to everyone following you!
My original motivation was to enjoy the health benefits and avoid Type 2 if at all possible. The steady weight loss was an added bonus which I now love more than the other benefits almost. 🙂
I still believe the timing has to be right too for anyone to make any changes in their eating regime and be successful. Mine was my mother having particularly painful lower legs and feet caused by her Type 2 diabetes.

My motivaton was being told at my yearly health check that I was borderline diabetic. I’ve now lost 14lb since the beginning of October and am down to the weight I was this time last year. I would like to lose at least another 14lb as I had lost weight last year and then spent this year putting it all back on again! I am finding the fast days a lot better than I thought I would and am also more aware of what and how much I am eating on my non-fast days.

i find that the scales are very motivating (as in when you have lost weight) but its not always good to go by the scales.

i do workouts and not a very strict 5:2 (used to be very strict) and i found that i looked way better but didn’t go by the scales as much – well, not at all – because i find it very motivating when people just say you look way more toned etc. especially when you have your period and you put on a ton of weight….or after the weekend or something you feel completely crap and depressed after weighing yourself.

try taking pictures of certain areas and stick to your diet and exercise routine then after a few weeks take a picture of the same area again. it really does help

Hi to all out there. I was browsing the net while waiting for some fresh bread I have just made finishes off in the oven. I came across the poem “Desiderata” on a web site I have never visited before. http://www.businessballs.com/desideratapoem/htm
I love the poem and its message. If any posters visit this site you will see loads of links to various subject matters on the left of the page. I finally found “Letters to the Council”. Some were hilariously funny. Have a look if just to make your days more enjoyable.
Good luck to you all.